The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated standards which require locomotive manufacturers to comply after Jan. 1, 2005 with “Tier 2” emissions standards. As a result, there is a need to achieve about a 50% reduction in particulate emissions along with about a 30% reduction in NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions for locomotive two-stroke internal combustion diesel engines, dictating need for engine optimization.
Accordingly, what remains needed in the art is an optimized two-stroke internal combustion diesel engine, suitable for locomotive (as well as other) applications, which meets EPA Tier 2 emissions standards.